Cockroaches are among the most hated insects that invade people’s homes. They can live up to a year. The females lay several cases of eggs during their lifetimes, each containing 30-50 eggs.
Cockroaches have antennae that can pick up chemical signals in the air. This makes cockroaches hard to destroy with pesticides. Similarly, they sample food before eating it and can detect pesticides being used against them. Cockroaches have good memories and have developed immunity to many pesticides.
These insects can survive in almost any environment. They can live without food for 3 months and without water for more than 30 days. Cockroaches are capable of traveling many miles in a day. They can enter through cracks in the walls, and wherever they can travel, they can lay eggs. Under the right conditions, these egg cases may survive for years before hatching.
Cockroach Control
When planning a cockroach extermination plan, the first thing to figure out is where and how many. Keep a log for a couple of weeks. Take notes whenever you see them, identifying areas and numbers. If you’re just dealing with one stray cockroach every now and then, it’s probably not worth taking action. But the number you will tolerate is for you to decide.
Natural Cockroach Dust
Various dusts can be used to control cockroaches by sprinkling them in places cockroaches frequent, such as inside walls, drawers, cabinets, etc. You want to be careful where you spread cockroach dust so that pets and kids won’t get at it. You don’t want it to be ingested by anything other than the roaches.
Recipe for Safe Cockroach Dust:
1 c. dried up a leaves (powdered)
1 c. peppermint leaves (powdered)
1 tbsp. of garden grade diatomaceous earth
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Cayenne Pepper/chili pepper
1 tbsp. Powdered pyrethrium
1 tbsp. salt
Mix these ingredients together, then use a mortar and pestle to grind them into a fine powder. This mixture works best if it is allowed to stay for 24 hours or more. Good places to apply it are in between walls, the attic, the cellar, and under your house. You can also make this mixture into a paste by adding a tablespoon of butter and a little bit of water. This may make it easier to apply.
